Visual display drinking vessel



Sept. 18, 1956 N. HEPNER 2,763,142

VISUAL DISPLAY DRINKING VESSEL Filed Aug. 9, 1954 IN VEN TOR.

zal #a/Zen United States Patent O VISUAL DISPLAY DRINKING VESSEL Neal Hepner, Detroit, Mich.

Application August '9, 1954, Serial No. 448,601

Claims. ("Cl. 65-13) This invention relates to a drinking vessel and, more particularly, to a novel drinking vessel provided with a moving visual display fluid disposed within the walls of the vessel, the display fluid being actuatable by the tilting action on the drinking vessel whenever the same is raised to a drinking position and also when returned to a standing position.

In its illustrated embodiments the invention consists' that, when the vessel is standing in an upright position,

one portion of the passageway is lower in elevation than the remaining portion of the same passageway, thereby causing the display lluid to tend to flow by gravity to the lowermost portion of the respective passageway. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the lowermost` portions of the several passageways are'positioned at various locations around the periphery of the vessel, causing the `several display uids to come to rest at various angular positions about the vertical axis of the vessel. When the vessel is used for drinking, the tilting action or movement imparted thereto causes the several display fluids inthe respective passageway to llow by gravity to that portion of each passageway which is made lowermost inV elevation as a result of the tilting of the vessel. Upon the vessel being returned to a vertical standing position, the several display uids will independently seek the lowermost portion of their respective passageways, thereby producing a pleasing and animated visual display.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel drinking vessel provided with an `amusing and attention attracting moving display whereby children may be encouraged to drink the necessary amounts of nutritions liquids which are required for good health.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel visual display drinking vessel which is easy and relatively inexpensive to manufacture, is sturdy in construction and which after use may be cleaned as easily and efficiently as any ordinary drinking glass.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of the specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Fig. l is a side elevation of a drinking vessel constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially Contained within each Y 2,763,142 Patented Sept. 1S, 1956 r'ice through the line 2--2 of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken through the lines 3 3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to that of Fig. 1 but illustrating the positioning of the display uids within their respective passageways when the Vessel is in the tilted position.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed view of the portion of Fig. 2 within the circle 5.

Fig. 6 is a view in part similar to Fig. 5 illustrating a modification thereof.

Before explaining in detail the present invention it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawing, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive comprises a drinking vessel, generally designated 10, which has an outer shell 11 mounted on an inner shell 12. The outer and inner shells may be made from any suitable transparent material, such as plastic, and fixed together by any suitable process. The inner shell 12 is closed on the lower end thereof with a bottom member 13, and is open on the upper end.

As illustrated, preferably the outer surface of inner shell 12 is provided with a series of grooves 14, each groove 14 extending fully around the outer periphery of said inner shell so as to form an endless passageway in which display fluid 15 may ow. It will be noted that each of the grooves 14 are independent and separate from one another, and when outer shell 11 is xed to inner shell 12 the individual passageways and display uid 15 contained thereinfare entirely sealed from the atmosphere and from `the cavity of the drinking vessel. Each of the `grooves 14 is formed so as to slope downwardly from a higher 'level position 16 on one side of the Vessel to a lower level position 17 on the diametrically opposite side of the vessel. Preferably, the lower level portions 17 of the various passageways are displaced about the vertical axis of the vessel so that when the vessel is standing upright the display lluids will come to rest at spaced intervals around the periphery of the vessel.

As illustrated in Fig. 6, the outer shell 10 may be provided with convex projections 1S on lthe outer surface thereof, such projections being disposed in complementary relationship to the grooves 14 in the inner shell 12 when the shells 11 and 12 are fastened together. If provided, the convex projections 18 will serve to optically magnify the width of grooves 14 and consequently magnify the apparent quantity of display uid contained in each passageway so as to improve the visual effect.

In Figs. 2 andV 3 there is illustrated the structure involved to permit the filling of the grooves 14 with the display uid 15. The inner shell 12 is preferably provided with a series of small holes 19 leading from the inner surface thereof into each groove. The holes 19 are preferably in vertical alignment. After the outer and inner shells 11 and 12 are assembled, display fluid of desired color is forced through the small holes 19 into the respective passageways. A thin strip of material 20 similar to that of which the shells are made is then placed .over the holes and sealed to the inner wall of the inner The composition of the uid used Within the passageway is preferably such that the iuid wets the walls of the passageway, thereby contributing -to the seal orpassage block effect, as illustrated in Fig. 1 and Fig. 4.

If the entire volume of each passageway were lled with ay singletiuid the device` would not produce a moving visual display. However, if each passageway'were partially filled with one uid Vof VVone'color `andspecitic gravity, and the remaining volume of each passageway werel filled with a second fluid of a different color and specific gravity and not miscible with the first uid, the system would function in a satisfactory manner.

The manner in which the visual display system embodied in the present invention functions may best be described by starting with the vessel in an upright position as shown in the view of Fig. 1. The display uids .15 are shown in a position of rest in the lowermost portions 17 of the various passageways or grooves 14, such display tiuids being spaced at intervals about the periphery of the vessel at the various passageway levels. `When the vessel is tilted as shown in Fig. 4, the display tiuids 15 are caused to ow by gravity to the side of the vessel in the direction of tilt. When the vesesl is returned to the vertical position the liuids will individually seek the lowermost portions of their respective passageways. The vessel may be tilted in any direction on its vertical axis, and upon return to the verticalposition a somewhat diferent combination of visual displays will result from each direction of tilt.

It will be understood that the rate of flow of the display fluids through the passageways 14 will depend on a number of factors, two of which are the cross-sectional geometry of the passageways and the physical properties of the display uid. As stated above, the composition of the Huid is preferably such that the duid wets the walls of the passageway. The liquid used is preferably colored water to which a surface active agent has been added, the surface active agent reducing the surface tension and thus increasing the wettability of the Huid. There are any number of such surface active agents available so it is not deemed necessary to specifically name any such compound. As for the cross-sectional geometry of the passageways 14, this also is a matterof choice being limited only by the ability of the uid to wet the passageway fully in a vertical direction. ,It is believed apparent that if the passageway is to wide in a vertical direction or too deep in a horizontal direction the volume of uid required for the desired effect will Vbe excessive and the ability of the fluid to seal the passageway will be impaired.

Other factors influencing the ow rate of the display fluid include the surface quality of the interiorof the passageways, the incline of the ow path, the quantity` of the display fluid in each passageway and the location-of the fluid within a passageway prior to the vessel being restored to a vertical position. These factors are believed readily apparent and as not requiring any detailed description.

I claim:

l. A'drinking vessel the side wall of which is transparent at least from the outer side thereof, a series of longitudinally spaced independent passageways vWithin said side wall, each of said passageways'containing'acolored display uid distinctively visible fromthe 'outer side of said vessel and the volume of which is substantially less than the volume of the containing passageway, high and low points on the respective passageways circumferentially spaced around the vessel to stagger the positions of the display uids when the vessel `is in a'rest position, said display fluid within the respective passageways being movable by gravity around said vessel when the same is tilted from said rest position to a drinking position and returned to a rest position, thereby providing a moving visual display.

2. A drinking vesselfthe side wallof which istransparent at least from the outer side thereof, a series of longitudinally spaced independent passageways within said side wall, each of said passageways containing a colored display fluid distinctively visible from the outer side of said vessel and the volume of which is substantially less than the volume of the containing passageway, high and low points on the respective passageways circumferentially spaced around the vessel to stagger the positions of the displayuids when the vesselis in a rest position, said display fluids within tthe respective passageways being movable by gravity therethrough when the vessel is tilted from said rest position to a drinking position and returned to a rest position, said display uid containing a wetting agent causing the display uid to form a liquid seal within the containing passageway, the surface tension of the fluid being such that the display tiuid will form bands of color in the respective passageways, each band of color being movable as a unit within its containing passageway even though the leading portion thereof may be moving toward a low point while the trailing portion may be moving toward a high point during the various tilting movements of the vessel.

3. A drinking vessel the side wall of which is transparent at least from the outer side thereof, a series of longitudinally spaced independent passageways within said side wall, each of said passageways containing a colored display uid distinctively visible from the outer side of said vessel and the volume of which is substantially less than the volume of the containing passageway, high and low points on the respective passageways circumferentially spaced around the vessel to stagger the positions of the display fluids when the vessel is in a rest position, said display fluid within the respective passageways being movable by gravity around said vessel when the same is tilted from said rest position to a drinking position and returned to a rest position, the longitudinal displacement of the high and low points on the respective passageways being a variable distance, thereby providing a moving visual display wherein the display fluids in the respective passageways will be movable by gravity at varying rates and in different directions depending upon the direction in which the vessel is tilted.

4. A drinking vessel comprising a double walled container having an inner shell and an outer shell bonded together, at least one of said shells being transparent, co-

acting means on the contacting wall portions of said inner and outer shell forming a series of spaced circuitous passageways within the double wall of said container, said passageways being sealed from one another by the bond between said inner and vouter shell, and each of said passageways containing therewithin a colored display fluid distinctively visible through at least said one shell Aand having a volume substantially less `than that of the containing passageway, the respective passageways having high and low points thereon angularly displaced around the periphery of the vessel and effective to stagger the positions of the display fluids when in a rest position, said display `iuid within the respective passageways being movable by gravity from one position to another around the periphery of said drinking vessel when the same is tilted from said rest position to a drinking position and returned to a rest position, thereby to provide a moving visual display.

5. A drinking vessel the side wall of which is transparent at least from the outer side thereof, a series of longitudinally spaced independent passageways within said side wall,feach of said passageways containing a colored display iluid distinctively visible from the outer side of said vessel and the volume of which in certain passageways being substantially less than the volume of the containing passageway and in other passageways comprising two or more immiscible fluids at least one of which is of a different specific gravity, and in which last named passageways the total volume of fluid may be equal to the volume of the containing passageway, high and low points tilted from said rest position to a drinking position and returned to a rest position, thereby providing a moving visual display.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Fantoni Oct. 6, 1903 Jacobs Nov. 27, 1928 Reuther July 31, 1934 Rosenthal May 27, 195" 

